Second arrest made in weekend overdose epidemic in Lorain

LORAIN — Police have made a second arrest in connection with the weekend spike in drug overdoses.
Antwan Taylor, 20, was arrested at about 2 p.m. Monday following a traffic stop in the 1900 block of Meister Road in Lorain, according to Sgt. Tom Nimon of the Lorain Narcotics Bureau.

Taylor is facing charges of aggravated trafficking in drugs, possession of heroin and possession of criminal tools.

Nimon said that the Lorain Narcotics Bureau recovered 35 grams of the drug when they arrested Taylor.

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“We have been notified that the drugs we sent off to be tested came back as being 100 percent Fentanyl,” Nimon said.

Fentanyl is a pain medication that is stronger than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The drug has an effect on users that is similar to heroin and sometime enhanced by mixing the drug with heroin or cocaine.

In Noble’s arrest, Elyria police reported that the drug was being called China White on the streets, but that tests had not yet confirmed that is what the drug was.

China White, according to Elyria Police Capt. Chris Costantino, is a mixture of heroin and Fentanyl.

“The stuff we found on Taylor looks to be the same as what they found in Elyria, but we are not sure yet,” Nimon said.

The Lorain Narcotics Bureau, along with the Lorain County Drug Task Force and the Elyria Narcotics Bureau, have been working around the clock since Friday afternoon to track down the people selling the drugs resulting in the overdoses, Nimon said.

“We’ve been working relentlessly,” he said. “We want to get this stuff off the streets as quickly as possible.”

Their efforts have gotten more than 100 grams of the product off the streets, Nimon said.

“That is a significant amount of drugs,” he said. “There’s more out there and we are continuing to work to find it and where it is coming from.”

Nimon also confirmed that there were two more overdoses Monday, bringing the total count to at least 23 since Friday afternoon.

“There were two overdoses (Monday) night,” Nimon said. “One was able to be revived, the other was taken to the hospital. I’m not sure of the condition.”

The three narcotics agencies will continue to work around the clock to end the epidemic, Nimon said.

“I would love to say that this arrest is the end of it, but it is not,” Nimon said. “I know there will be another arrest. I’m not sure when, but there will be. And we are going to continue working on this case until it the drug is off the streets.”

About the Author

Jon is a 2011 graduate of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. While at Calvin, Jon worked for the college newspaper, Chimes, where he was the sports editor and co-managing editor. Jon began writing for The Morning Journal in March of 2013. Reach the author at jbehm@morningjournal.com
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